Absence doesn't make the heart grow fonder
by tashiihalsey
Summary: So I have been deliberating for months to write a story...and here it is!...Based on how the relationship between Ste and Brendan was at the beginning of the storyline, with some added twists! Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

_**Absence doesn't make the heart grow fonder**_

A/N This is my first ever story, like ever! So, any criticisms would be highly valued in order for me to make improvements for future storytelling. This fic will be full of angst, violence and…..you get the idea. Read and reviews would be appreciated. Thanks!

It had been a normal day at work, Brendan giving Ste the cold shoulder each moment the younger man glanced or even came near him. This is how it was, the relationship, affair, whatever you call it between the two. Brendan would sleep with Ste and give him the best sexual experience ever only to totally blow him off the next day. Today was no different and Ste began to wonder if this is what he really wanted, what he deserved from life.

As Ste looked at the clock which indicated how much longer his shift had left to run, he couldn't help but to look at Brendan again with that glint in his eye, the one that indicated he was becoming frustrated with the lack of attention and needed some…excitement. Subtlely, he walked out from behind the bar and towards the direction of the office where Brendan had been stood, seemingly looking at his staff to make sure they were working and not messing around. Ste walked up to Brendan and tentatively reached out his hand whilst giving Brendan a shy but intentional smile.

Brendan looked down, and then back up at Ste, his face changing from anger to…..something else. Both men walked into the office, locking the door behind them. Brendan then pinned Ste up against the wall, and leant in, inhaling the scent of the boy. "Someone is randy tonight aren't they young Stephen"? Ste smiled up at Brendan before leaning in so that their mouths were centimetres away. "It's you Brendan, you get me in the mood". Brendan laughed low in his throat and leant back slightly. "Anybody at yours tonight Stephen? Maybe we could…hook up". Ste blushed slightly and shook his head "no Brendan, you know the kids and Amy go to Mike's every other weekend". Brendan nodded a little. "Sure, well why don't ye get off now, ye've been here all day, and I'll see ye soon yeah". Ste nodded, unable to hide the grin spreading across his face as he gave Brendan a quick peck on the lips before leaving the office.

As Ste left both the office and the club, he wasn't aware of 2 things that were occurring….one being that there was a very angry Brendan sitting at his office desk, and the other being that Ste had a stalker that he was yet to be aware of. The night was only just beginning…

TBC….review please? x


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Terry Hay had had a tough life, but the last few months had been the hardest. Pauline finally mustered up the courage to leave him after Terry had gone one step too far. He was alone, on the dole, with no job prospects or ambitions. Life looked bleak. It bought back memories of an unhappy childhood for Terry, memories that were unwanted and closed off from the outside world. However, at a time like this, the memories were flooding back all too quickly.

Terry had always known pain, ever since he was first bought into the world. His parents never wanted him, insisting that he was nothing short of a mistake when he questioned the social services about his adoption. His foster parents, well they were even worse. Terry shuddered at the thoughts as he sat on the furniture that was slowly disintegrating into nothing. He was one of 4 foster children within the family environment, and one of 4 children who were repeatedly beaten on a daily basis. He never understood what was wrong with him, or why everybody around him seemed to despise him; his parents for giving him up and his foster parents for abusing him. All he knew back then was that he was unworthy of love and only bought onto the planet to be hurt.

It was highly likely then, that as Terry grew up into a young adult, these abusive traits would be instilled into him. He never meant to hurt Pauline, deep down he did love her, he really did. But with Ste also being ever present within the home, he just lost his temper. Looking at Ste bought back all the memories of when Terry was a little boy, and it made him feel sick, that this boy could be living with him but not be beaten.

It is these thoughts that make Terry stand up from the aging furniture ungraciously, throw on his shoes and coat and hail a taxi to Hollyoaks village. It was time for Ste to feel what he felt back then….

Xxxxx

As Ste took out his keys from his inner jacket pocket and opened his front door, Terry sprung from seemingly out of nowhere. The next thing Ste knew, he was being pushed through his own front door and shoved unceremoniously to the ground before the front door shut with a slam. When he looked up at the intruder, his eyes widened in shock and fear as he registered the figure looming above him…


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

As Ste gingerly got to his feet, mouth still gaped open in surprise at his step-father standing in front of him in his hallway, he was quickly back on the ground again. His heart started to hammer inside his chest as he found himself in a position he had experienced so many times before, both as a child and not so long ago with Brendan. "What are you doing here….what do you want?" Instead of giving a reply, Terry just smiled wickedly down towards Ste before picking him back up and pinning him against the wall.

"I'm here to teach you a lesson son. Your mother"…he paused, feeling another twinge of anger at the thought of Pauline…."well she's left me you see, left me on my own, with nothing. Nobody to hit, nobody to control, nothing. So you see, I thought it was about time I came back, to gain a sense of control again. And well, considering you told your mother to leave me all those times in the past, I'm holding you responsible". Before Ste could even muster a reply, he felt a sharp pain in his ribs as Terry's fist connected with the sensitive area. Trying to fold himself in after the impact, Ste's breathing became erratic as his heart began to palpitate with fright.

"Please" Ste spluttered as he tried to get out of his step-fathers grasp, "please….leave me alone". Terry laughed, his face looking demented. All this did was remind Ste of Brendan. As a punch to his face was landed, Ste fell to the ground, memories of Brendan flooding through his mind.

Xxxxx

Brendan, meanwhile, was sat at his office desk; pen in mouth, deep in thought. Currently, he was trying desperately not to lash out and wreck the office he was inhabiting. After everything he had said to Stephen about not touching him, acting like a disgusting, filthy queer and he still has the cheek to come to work and make a move in full view of everybody, in full view of his sister? No, he was going to pay for this mishap, and Stephen knows what happens when he crosses the line.

Brendan had always known control; it had been instilled into him since he was a kid. The words of his father echo through his mind most days, words that he'll never forget, no matter how much he might want to "you're nothing but a dirty, filthy queer, you ain't no son of mine". Control was a part of Brendan's childhood; he was victim to control by his father; he was witness to his father's control over his mother. It was all he ever knew, all he ever saw. It seems no surprise then that Brendan grew up to be a replica of his Dad, with those cruel words running through his head continuously. All of his past male partners also know about Brendan and his need for control; they had, like Brendan as a child, been victim to it; Vinnie, Macca and the ones before.

Stephen, well Stephen is different, not so different in that he couldn't be controlled and manipulated, but just…different. Brendan still cannot get his head around these, these what? Feelings? It must be something, because nobody has ever made Brendan feel and act the way he does towards Stephen. Nobody.

As Brendan mulls over Stephen's earlier act of making a move, the anger within him sresurfaces again. Making a decision to not wreck his office, he throws down the pen onto the desk, drains the remainder of whisky in the glass, shrugs on his suit jacket and descends the clubs steps; destination: Hollyoaks council estate…


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

A/N I would just like to thank everybody for the reviews, especially considering this is my first ever story. And also a big thank you to Jules; I took your comment into perspective and here I present you with the latest, and longest chapter! Enjoy and review/criticise if you so wish! Tash

As the blows to Ste's body continued, he distinctly had the fleeting thought of whether this was the end; if he was to be ended in his own hallway. 21 years of life, and a pretty eventful life that is, all to be ended by his spiteful step-dad exacting his…his what? Revenge? It couldn't be could it? Ste hadn't seen Terry in years, had had no reason to want to see his face again, yet here he was reliving his childhood all over again. It seems a bit of an anti-climax if this was to be the end; not only would 2 beautiful children be left without their Dad but after everything Ste had been through in his short life, even he would have expected to die in more exceptional circumstances. Ste curled his small body into a ball, trying not to show any signs of weakness to the figure laying punches and kicks into him by displaying any tears. Instead he just lay there and hoped, prayed for the attack to end, for someone to save him.

Xxxxx

As Brendan made his way through the village, his anger grew more and more with each step that bought him closer to the estate in which Stephen lived. He didn't know what it was about Stephen, did he like Brendan hurting him and having to keep him in line? Did he like Brendan controlling and manipulating him? Was he just a masochist at heart, loving the danger of the relationship? Was this what gave Stephen the thrill? But then Brendan thought of all the tears that Stephen had shed, tears shed because of him and his fists. One particular flashback made Brendan come to a stop at the skate-park, and sit down.

_It had been a great night Brendan had concluded as he turned his head to the side and saw Stephen lying there, eyes half closed from a combination of exhaustion, satisfaction and desire. As Brendan rolled to his side and propped himself on an elbow, he simply stared at Stephen, scrutinizing him slightly. Then he did what seemed to come naturally to him when alone with Stephen; he reached out an arm and gently swept a few loose strands of hair away from Stephen's forehead, currently full with sweat and exertion. Stephen stirred slightly at Brendan's touch and opened one eye slowly, grinning at Brendan like the cat that had got the cream. His face was full of happiness and love, a look that made him appear as if this is the only place he ever wanted to be, right here, in this bed, in this room, with this man. Internally, Brendan struggled with this, struggled to get his head around the fact that Stephen could harbour such feelings for him, especially after what he had done. As Stephen went to open his mouth, Brendan stopped him by placing his index finger onto Stephen's lips. Stephen just smiled in acknowledgement and closed his eyes, the exhaustion finally taking its toll on him as he drifted off to sleep, a smile still plastered onto his face._

_Brendan lay there for hours, part scrutinizing Stephen still and part loathing him for the feelings that he made Brendan feel. Eventually, Brendan also went to sleep, but it was a sleep plagued with awful nightmares from his childhood with those words ever present in his mind: "queer, pansy, girl". The next morning, Stephen woke up, wakening Brendan in the process, still wearing the same expression on his face from the night before. Brendan couldn't help but smile and as Stephen opened his mouth to speak, he wasn't stopped. The 3 words he uttered, they shattered Brendan to the core. Never had "I love you" affected him so much, not even when Vincent had spoken them before. Brendan couldn't stop himself, with his father's words fresh in his mind from the previous night's nightmares, he struck out, hitting at Stephen's still naked form. As he drew his fist back, his father's face loomed in his brain as he imagined the figure he was hitting to be his Dad. It wasn't until Stephen was yelling out in pain that Brendan stopped and looked at Stephen, still lying on the bed naked but this time wearing tears on his face and possibly a broken heart._

As the flashback ended, Brendan got up again and continued on his route to Stephen's house, unaware of what he would find when he got there…


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**A/N: So I haven't updated in ages, sorry about that. Got loads of ideas for both this story and others so just stick with me and I will update quicker, especially after these exams this month. Thanks for the reviews and people favouriting the story, means a lot. Here's chapter 5 for you lovely lot! **

Ste was verging on the edge of unconsciousness as his body was pounded into continuously. He squeezed his eyes shut as tightly as possible and attempted to think about the happy memories that he had; those that mainly consisted of Amy, Leah and Lucas. Yet, as his bones were breaking and the feeling of pain was all around him, this was a seemingly impossible task as images of Brendan and himself as a child played around and around in his head like some sort of slideshow. When yet another kick was aimed at his abdomen, he cried out. He couldn't help it, the pain was just too much, too all consuming.

"No, please!...just….s….stop". His breathing was becoming shallower and shallower as every breath strained his ribcage further. Terry just laughed wickedly at him. "You always were a weak one wasn't you son. It seems like all those years growing up didn't change you too much eh". As Ste tried to swallow down air, his vision became blurred and fuzzy as Terry laid a punch to his jaw and cheek. "All them beatings I gave you in the past, and you're still just a little scrote who thinks he's better than me. Nobody is better than me!" Those were the last words that Ste heard before everything faded into darkness.

Xxxxx

The wooden door of the council estate came into view and Brendan stopped to prepare himself for the inevitable confrontation that was most likely going to occur. He knocked on the door briskly, marking a spot within the wood that he could describe as his for when he came round to Stephen's house.

The hard knocking of his front door stirred Ste back to consciousness as some fleeting hope ran through him that he was about to escape the clutches of his brutal, evil step-father. As Terry stopped and glared down at his step-son, he suddenly lunged towards him, grabbing Ste's tearstained and bloody face in his grasp, digging his nails into the already bruised and battered skin.

"If you say anything, I swear I will kill you. Whoever this person is, get…rid….of….them….otherwise….I'll…get….rid….of….you…." he hissed into Ste's face before dropping it and walking off towards a bedroom.

Ste was bought back to reality by another knock and hauled himself up to his feet, using the wall for support. He winced, wiped his face and tried to plaster on a smile before limping towards the door with a half hearted "I'm coming". As the door was flung open, Brendan stood there, a number of emotions running across his face in that moment that passed between them. Before he was able to say anything, Ste interrupted him.

"Bren, I know we said we'd hook up tonight…..but I'm not really in the mood". He tried to force a smile behind the pain he was feeling, but Brendan wasn't fooled quite so easily.

"Stephen, what…what the hell?...who did this to you?...tell me, tell me now!" As he tried to push his way past Ste into the flat, Ste winced and cried out stopping Brendan in his tracks. "Brendan, please" Ste replied with pleading eyes "just, not tonight. I….I can't…" Brendan's expression softened somewhat and he stepped towards Ste.

"Who's done this to you Stephen? And don't even think about lying to me". Knowing that Terry was probably listening to the conversation, Ste did the only thing he could do: lie. Speaking through tears and numerous mumbles, he managed to get out the words "jumped" "way home" "it was nothing" and "can you just go", whilst feeling on the edge of a breakdown. Brendan reached out to hold Ste's neck, but Ste shrugged away from the touch. "Please, just go. I'll be back at work tomorrow afternoon. Please". As Brendan sighed, he finally relented and, with a look of concern on his face, turned back around and walked away.

As Ste closed the door behind him, crumbling to the ground, body wracked in tears, Terry stepped back out from the shadows.

"So, not only are we still a scrote, but now we're queer. You should never have been born son" he spat out venomously, glaring down at Ste with hate and now disgust. Looks like you never quite learnt your lesson when you was younger, queers need teaching". And he reached back out towards Ste, as Ste tried to shrink away, grabbing him by the throat and launching him onto the sofa. "I should never have let you leave when you did, that was a mistake, but now…now you won't escape"….


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**A/N So sorry for the delay in updates! But the exams are now over and its summer time for me so expect more frequent posts of chapters. Don't worry, there is no sign of writers block from me at all, I will still be here! Read and review if you so wish! Thanks!**

Childhood was the worst period of Terry's life, it would be for any person who had been told they were a mistake, given away and then abused by their foster parents. It was what, as Terry would say to anyone if questioned, made him the way he was, the person he was. It was also the reason why he used Ste as his favourite punch-bag. It was all he knew; foster children got beaten by the foster parents, it was how life was supposed to be.

And then he found out that Ste was gay. One of those queers, lording it around with other blokes, taking things from other blokes that should not even be imagined. Taking these things in places on the human body that should not be imagined. And as he looked down at his disgusting excuse of a step-son before him, the hatred he felt fuelled further. He laughed wickedly as a terrified Ste looked up at him, attempting to move from the sofa.

He didn't get far before Terry was on him again, squeezing his throat and lifting him from both the sofa and the floor. As Ste let out a strangled cry, face turning red from the lack of oxygen, Terry once again dropped him, kicking him away like he was nothing but a discarded tissue on the floor. He then went into the kitchen, rummaging through cupboards in search of something.

Ste took this as an opportunity to run and, wincing and whimpering as quietly as he could, picked himself up from the floor and half ran, half crawled towards the front door. Just as he could see it becoming closer to him, he was stopped yet again, a hand in his hair yanking his head back whilst a knife was held to him. "You say one word, and you know what'll happen" Terry hissed into his ear, as Ste's breathing again became more erratic. "I thought I told you, you wouldn't escape, yet you're still trying to? You always were a stupid little runt. I'll have to teach you another lesson, because you just don't seem to understand". That's when Ste then felt more pain shooting through his body, as he was shoved with a vengeance into the wall face first, before his hands were taken and crossed behind his back. He struggled yet again, before freezing as he felt the knife poking into his side. Then a cold, fearful shiver ran through his spine at the next words hissed into his ear "you ignore me, do anything I don't say, and I will kill you. Now don't move until I tell you to, you hear me?"

Ste was motionless, unable to do or say anything as the terror began to take hold of him in droves. "I said, do you hear me?" There was a minute nod of the head, and then Terry was tying Ste's hands behind his back with the rope that he had found in the cupboard where he used to hide it all them years back.

The front door was then opened and Ste was directed towards an old camper van that looked distinctly like the one which the Savages currently inhabited. He didn't have the time to utter these thoughts as his body was chucked into the van and the door slammed shut behind him, leaving him in the darkness as the vehicle drove off…

Xxxxxx

And as a new day bloomed for Brendan, and a new shift at the club began, the worry from the previous night creeped up on him unwittingly as the day turned to night…..and there was no sign of Stephen…

**For anybody who happens to still be reading this, I salute you! And if anybody at all has any requests or ideas for another story they would like me to write, I am all ears! Tash **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**A/N Yes, I know, I am absolutely terrible when it comes to regular updates, and I'll probably never change. But the main reason is because, quite frankly, there are so many better stories out there than what I can provide. But, for those who do still wanna read this, this is for you.**

Ste must have fallen into a light sleep, because once his eyes were open, he was met with 2 things. Firstly, excruciate agony, coursing through his entire body, as he started to remember vaguely what had occurred. And secondly, his surroundings, somewhere which were unrecognisable to him. He began to move, letting out a pained moan as he found himself tied to a chair, unable to free himself. And then, something peeking into his peripheral vision, as a dark shadow slowly approached him, still with that cruel, wicked smile on his lips.

"Hello again son, I do hope the journey wasn't too bumpy" Terry hissed, as Ste's breathing began to hitch again. "Please, let me go. I….I haven't done anything wrong!" Ste practically begged, cowering away slightly as Terry leant in quickly and threateningly towards him.

"Well, that isn't exactly true now is it son. What happened to that pram-face of yours, I thought she was all you had ever wanted, that stupid cow and them stupid kids" Terry spat scathingly.

Ste tried to move again, but was only met by more pain, this time across his wrists, as the chafe of the rope dug into his tender skin. "She…they…they're at Mike's, they'll be back today" Ste said, trying to sound strong and convincing, but doing anything but.

"Liar!" Terry roared back. "I heard you yesterday, you and that queer. I always knew there was something wrong with you. You disgust me"

Ste tried to bite back the tears at these words, having heard them spoken to him before, by the person he so desperately wanted to see now. Anything, anything, to help get him away from the monster currently glaring down at him, hatred pouring from his core. He started to ramble incoherently, in an attempt to try and pacify his Stepdad into letting him go, without any further hurt or damage.

"I….no, you heard wrong. Me, me and Amy….we're, we're still together, we l…..love each other. And they'll, her and the kids" he stopped and let out a shaky breath at the thought of Leah and Lucas, a deep fear rushing through him, at the possibility that he might never see them again, because of the man that he hated the most in the world, who just happened to have taken him hostage. "…the kids…..they'll be at home now, waiting for me…thinking I've just popped to the shops….so please….just let me go. I won't say a word."

Terry just laughed at the pathetic human in front of him, and his pathetic words. "You think I'm going to just let you go, after everything you've done to me?" His hand reached out towards Ste's throat again, as he carried on with a hiss "are you really that stupid? I mean, I've known how thick you've been in the past…..seems like nothing's changed has it, son."

And Ste was trying to move away from that hand, trying to think of anything, something that he could say. However, the only thing he could think of was the fear and the terror that was soaring through him as that hand reached out to claw the life away from him. And just as Terry's hand reached its target and clasped onto Ste's neck, he stopped, laughing gleefully at the look of pure fright at the shaking frame before him.

Terry stood back up straight, glaring down at Ste, wicked smile on his lips and started to back away. Ste looked back, and spoke before he could stop himself. "Wh….where are you going?" he stuttered, looking lost, confused and scared as he looked around him, and only saw darkness.

Terry slowly walked back, kneeling down again and jabbing Ste in the ribs, emitting another moan of pain from Ste. "Enough questions son…otherwise this will be over quicker than it should be" "Wh…what will be over?" came the quick reply. Terry stood up quickly, throwing a punch towards Ste's cheek, snapping his head back as more hot tears began their way down Ste's already bloodied and bruised face. "What did I say about any more questions!" Terry yelled as Ste tried to make himself look as small as possible. "If you don't obey me, you will be punished."

And then the next thing Ste saw was darkness, as Terry blindfolded him and began walking away again. Ste knew he shouldn't have said anything, but sometimes, he just couldn't help himself, and the words were out before he could stop them. "You w…won't get away with this….I will escape….and you'll be outta me life for good." There was silence and then the sound of a fist swishing through the air, this time landing on Ste's chest, and again on his face.

"You'll never learn will you. All of them knocks to the head I gave when you were little, and you still don't listen. You asked for this son, you asked for this" and this time Terry gagged Ste, placing that hand against his throat again. "You're wrong by the way, you won't escape" he hissed against Ste's ear, "now how's about time I bought some of my friends to join you."

And as Terry let go of Ste, a sudden new fear raged through him, as he could hear the sound of a door opening, and some more footsteps entering the room.

Xxxxxx

It was almost mid-afternoon now, and that concern that Brendan had felt a few hours earlier when Ste hadn't shown up was slowly beginning to build into something more. He bought out his phone, pressing speed dial number 2, getting the same voicemail tone: 'Hiya, you've reached Ste. Can't make it right now, but leave us a message and I'll get back to ya!'Brendan decided to leave another message, along with the 5 others already left on Stephen's phone "Stephen, where the feck are ye? You're almost 3 hours late, and messing with the wrong guy. Call me, now!"

Brendan scanned the almost empty club, and bought the phone back up to his ear, pressing speed dial number 1 this time. He had to hold the phone a little distance away from his ear, like he usually did, as the bubbly tones of his sister screeched through the phone. "Bren" Cheryl squealed "you're phoning early. Problem with the club?" "No no Chez, the club is just fine…..actually…." and he trailed off. "Bren, what is it?" Cheryl replied in worried tones. "Look Chez, have ye seen Stephen?"

"Ste, well, I thought he was meant to be there" Cheryl replied as Brendan let out an exasperated sigh "yes sis I know that, why do ye think I'm ringing ye?" "Alright Bren, I was only saying. No, I haven't seen him, want me to go to his flat?" Brendan looked around him, and saw a group of students coming up the stairs, probably to drown their sorrows with money they don't have. He sighed, then remembered he was having a phone conversation. "Yer, would ye sis? And ring me straight away. Ye know what I'm like when my staff mess me around." "Yes Bren, I'll pop on round there now alright, ye just look after the club"

Brendan ended the call, and pressed speed dial number 2 once more, reaching the voicemail tone of Ste Hay's mobile phone yet again.

And then, not even 20 minutes later, he got a call that changed everything….

**I know it's awful and that there is absolutely no reason for you to want to read this codswallop, but I'll put it up there for you anyway. Once again, any story requests you may have, I will listen to, even if it takes almost half a year for me to publish something. Tash x**


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